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2009-11-22 - Slavestate Interview
Slavestate 'published an article/interview regarding Dead by April's UK shows as well as a regular interview with Jimmie Strimell on November 22, 2009. First half of the interview took part in Sheffield on October 8 and the second part back in Sweden. Topics they covered were among others Dead by April's popularity in UK as well as the use of backing tracks. The interview was written by Isabella Qwist. The interview was divided in two parts over two days. The second part can be found here. Script : ''The interview was done in Swedish and is therefore translated into English. '''In Sweden Dead by April become a success story so quickly that the band members barely understand it themselves. Isabella Qvist have met up with the band in the UK, where many more steps remain on the career ladder. Today, part one of two. The hype surrounding Dead by April has not reached the otherwise Sweden mad UK, their songs are not played on the radio and the newspapers barely writes about the tattooed teen idols. The band was recently on a two-week UK tour with Welsh Skindred and I took Slavestate to examine the blossom of spring in a tentative love affair. Tonight's gig in northern England's Sheffield is far from sold out and although the headline act, metal band Skindred will later get the huge and black painted hall to feel jam-packed, the majority of the elderly and rasta braided audience is hanging in the background when Dead by April hits the stage. The younger crowd are at the front and seems to ignore the space formed between them and the rest of the audience and moshes from the first song. If the show would have been held at the club's minor gig room where among others, Cult of Luna played on the last tour, their circle pits and wall of death's would have felt much tougher. Not a trace of laziness. ' Although the set's heavier songs, "Angels of Clarity" is rendered with pre-recorded backing vocals during the chorus and "Stronger" gets the place to groove, it is apparent that this is a completely new challenge for the Gothenburg band who are accustomed to sold out stadiums and screaming ladies at home. A few hardcore fans knows the lyrics but it's not until two-thirds into the show when mega-hit and also Sweden's most popular summer plague "Losing You" is played that front man Jimmi Strimel succeeds to get the audience going. The band must fight to win over what is largely a sceptic audience, who mostly seems to think that the tattooed and well-trained Swedes looks "puffy. But as they struggle. They may appear to be somewhat comfortable when they later complains about the cold showers and filthy toilets but these guys are clearly aware that they are at a disadvantage here and well on stage there are no a trace of laziness. Then I can not help but smile when the audience is invited waving devil horns to the boy band ballad "I Made It''", a little cute. '''Satisfied despite disadvantage. After the show the Skindred crew are drinking jägermeister and Dead by April signs autographs. One extra lucky lady gets to purchase a disc at a reduced price, but only after all the band members have had the CD inside their pants. The guys look somewhat lost beside the main acts popular merch stand but are excited and relaxed when they realize that we can talk Swedish. Marcus Wesslén, bass, who first apologetically asks where in the country we actually are says that the tour is going well, it is different; this is more of a an underdog situation. Then the UK is not exactly a beloved country, especially with regards to the standard of toilet facilities. Jimmie fill in and admits that in Sweden, from the outset, therea re extra weight put on nice accommodation. The band will have to put up with this reality check for a while though, the band is only half way through the tour. "Don't get us wrong, we're very happy that we get to do this", assures Jimmie seriously and agrees with Johan Olsson, guitar and vocals, who says that they are satisfied with tonight's gig: "No one here knows us! Back home it is all sold out, always, and people is screaming and begging for us to not quit. Here they do not know us but it's fun too." Marcus looks at his tour schedule and thinks aloud: "Yes, I actually think I could fancy something like this", he replies spontaneously before he starts thinking. "We will not be able to play all the gigs here though, we're going to Japan to play on a huge festival over there", he says, smiling happily. The festival he's talking about is Loud Park, one of Japan's biggest. Dead By April's triumph has by now in other words just begun. The guys agree that their career has gone fantastically fast and they are shaking frankly shocked at my head when I point out the hype. "What was it like in the beginning? I hardly remember anymore", says Jimmie and laughs. There are no more time to talk and after hugs and promises of a proper interview soon, I leave Dead by April and their partially pre-recorded fighting spirit to their fate in an England where a slow thawing April weather prevails. Back to the future. A few weeks later, Dead By April have had time for both a UK tour and Japanese mega festival and Jimmie takes the time to answer some slightly more detailed questions. We continues where we left off. Then the evening party was just about to start, merch-seller Putte took pictures here and there and we talked about the life on tour. Now we start with the most important question: were there any naked dancing? "Yes, it is well understood that Nude Putte has danced and made the helicopter with the sock on as normal, otherwise it wouldn't be real Dead by April tour", laughs Jimmie. "Without Nude Putte Dead by April is not accomplished! And about the audience response, it has been surprisingly good, at least if you ask me. You're actually a little proud when people still appreciate what we do, even here in England, it appears after all that we are doing something good and not vice versa", says Jimmie shrewdly. The UK lifestyle was something they never really got used to though. Jimmie recognize that they are all fairly comfortable and points out that there is a difference between taking a weekend at a nice hotel in London and travelling around the tour bus where it is forced to "take a shower, shit and eat" out every day. It turns out that life on the road elicited Jimmies domestic sides and he admits that he soon started to buy and cook his own food on the bus. "After a few days of greasy pig food I'd had enough, so now it's soups with Swedish biscuits and rusks and a shitload of fruit that goes down instead", says Jimmie content. No lip-synching. Dead By April was signed to Universal almost exactly a year ago. Since then the changes have been many. Jimmie believe that the several summer festivals gave the band flesh and a more assertive in live shows. But then it was the thing with the pre-recorded "choir." Q: Is it true that some parts of the gig is performed by using backing tracks? "Yes, we have all the keyboards and harmonies on backing tracks, me and Pontus can not sing four harmonies." laughs Jimmie. "And the other band members do not want to stand and sing on all the choruses. So we have made as many other bands, we have chosen to sing the lead live and have the harmonies as backing tracks. But it's never ever so that any song is completely lip synced, we never mime so to say", Jimmie quickly says. Despite the backing tracks it's going well for the quintet from Gothenburg, beyond expectation if you ask Jimmie. "It's been absolutely crazy, as soon as you turn on the TV it has Dead by April on some channel! It has been completely dislocated, you can not really get into it and make it real." It is crazy, goggling Dead by April and you get 156 million hits. Swedish people love Dead by April. "I actually shudder in the whole body when I hear this", says Jimmie and laughs. "I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined that we would be hyped so fast, I can not describe in words how incredibly fun it is and how grateful I am for this! It's so sick fun to gig at home and seeing all the happy people singing our lyrics, it's completely crazy", says Jimmie happy .